Devices and methods that are used to deliver measured quantities of fluids may have useful applications in the industrial, academic, and medical fields. For example, in the medical industry, an infusion device may be used in order to deliver one or more therapeutic agents through an infusion set to targeted subcutaneous or intravascular regions of a patient. The ability of an infusion device to successfully deliver measured quantities of therapeutic agents to the targeted areas may be significantly hindered by an occlusion in the infusion set. Such an occlusion may result from biological or other extraneous materials which may enter the infusion set or the occlusion may result from other causes such as a kink in infusion tubing. An occlusion in an infusion set may partially or completely restrict the fluid flow through the infusion set and thereby alter the dose of therapeutic agent being delivered to a patient or prevent delivery of the therapeutic agent completely.
The ability of the infusion device to alert the user to an occlusion may therefore be important, as the user can then eliminate the occlusion and then proceed with the delivery of the therapeutic agents at the proper dose levels. What have been needed are devices and methods which are capable of detecting and alerting a user of an infusion device to a hindrance in the ability to deliver measured quantities of fluids. What have also been needed are devices and methods of occlusion detection that do not require significant modifications of or added components to an infusion device.